


Classpects in Hades

by FunkMcLovin



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018), Homestuck
Genre: Aspect, Homestuck - Freeform, class, classpect, classpecting, degeneracy, homestuck comic, will it homestuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:55:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27022354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkMcLovin/pseuds/FunkMcLovin
Summary: The classpects of the various Hades characters, as though society hasn't fallen far enough.Contains spoilers for HADES and HOMESTUCK! Be warned.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	1. NYX: Maid of Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx time, baby.

Hello, all, and welcome to the first episode of a series I'm tentatively calling "Greek Thirst Simulator Hussian Analysis."

The first character to be put under my grubby, smudged microscope will be none other than NYX, the goddess of night.

Let's get this out of the way, first. I'm not going to play my cards particularly close to the chest, since I spent so long on the various graphics associated with this series, so here's Nyx's classpect, up front:

**NYX: MAID OF VOID.**

Now that I've slapped my hot take on the table, I'm going to start justifying it.

**Let's begin with VOID.**

Void in Homestuck has a few peculiarities that sets it apart from other aspects. Firstly, the odd characteristic that omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent or otherwise omni- beings cannot usually detect Void players without help. Roxy famously eludes Her Imperious Condescension as well as Dirk's influence in later Homestuck Squared, and the Expatri8, Equius's ancestor escapes Doc Scratch's purview, a trait which Mindfang uses to hide her big white balls.

Nyx has this trait, too, even imbuing Zagreus with it to some extent. When discussing Nyx with Chaos, Chaos mentions that he is surprised that Zagreus is there to see him, as they cannot fully see Zagreus's comings and goings. They also comment that Nyx is the only person who Chaos can play hide-and-seek with.

Void is also an aspect concerning obfuscation, something Nyx does quite often. She mentions that she is unable to tell the other Olympians of Zagreus's existence due to a promise made to Hades. She does her best to circumvent this, but never disrespects this promise of secrecy. She also is secretly not Zagreus's true mother. She keeps these secrets at great expense to her loved ones, showing great devotion to these promises.

Nyx is also the goddess of night, which, of course, is associated with darkness and mystery, furthering this theme of hiding and obfuscation.

**Now on to MAIDHOOD.**

Nyx created the Underworld, acting as a sort of caretaker before Hades arrived. She appears to be able to manifest things, mentioning that she created Hades's House. She does not personally partake in its upkeep, as characters like Dusa do the grunt work themselves, but Nyx administrates upkeep and has a more metaphysical role as the Underworld's creator and caretaker. I mentioned already, too, her devotion to secrecy over her own wishes, and a common theme in Homestuck for maids is putting their aspect or their loved ones before themselves. 

Really, any God could be a "maid" in aspect, as "maid" often doubles in Homestuck as "Made" as in "Made of," instead of "Maid of," since they all embody their own element, but Nyx is a standout case, as she embodies servitude to her aspect as well. She is unbound by Hades's lot, she can presumably leave the underworld should she desire, but she chooses not to. This choice is imperative, as "Maid" is not a duty, it is a vocation. Nyx chooses her path freely and is only bound to it of her own free will.

**IN SUM,**

This classpecting is pretty self-evident. I think it's air-tight as classpects go, since Nyx is almost a textbook example of both maid and void. An argument could be made that she's a maid of time, since she serves the aspect of time in that she controls night-TIME, but the association with void is far stronger. Another argument that I could see is a Rogue of Void, since she exploits misinformation to her benefit, getting the Olympians to help Zagreus in his plight. Beyond this, though, she's not particularly active in the story, relegating her to a more docile maid role.

Maid of Void is a really cool classpect. The idea of someone driven by void is fascinating. I would have liked to see more of Nyx's abilities in game, and her design is certainly a standout in uniqueness.

Now everyone say "Good Bye, Night Mommy" and go to bed.


	2. CHAOS: Lord of Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next on the chopping block is my close personal friend, CHAOS.

Lord of Space, huh? Better have some hefty justification for THIS one, Funk!

Let me just say, as a preface, as a foreword- I love Chaos. My eyes were blinded when I saw them, my agender beauty, my muse, my precious being of pure shadow. I love them so much, and you should too.

But let's not waste any time revealing why Chaos is the **LORD of SPACE.**

**First, let's examine SPACE.**

Space is an easy aspect in Homestuck. As with Time, it's one of the three "literal" aspects, being Time, Void, and Space, all three presiding over the three broadest concepts in nature and metaphysics. Luckily, then, it's easy to quantify what makes a space player: They interact with "space," IE matter and its position.

Now, superficially, Chaos represents space, as their realm is within a starry expanse of void, which, for those of you just joining us, is pretty much what SPACE is, literally. On top of that, in-game, he can alter Zagreus's state of BEING with boons. Now, to be fair, all of the Olympians can do this, too, but Chaos in particular can alter Zagreus NEGATIVELY, too, which is important.

Not to mention the big cat is holding a whole ass Earth in his hand, a motif that Jade Harley, fellow space player, also did.

On a less superficial level, though, Chaos is literally the creator of the universe. It's unclear how much this slab of hotness had to do with the formation of the universe, as the Olympians preside over it and Nyx admits to creating Hades's home, but they at least CREATED it. Creating and filling space is a dead-ringer for Space, since Space players in Homestuck are responsible for- You guessed it: Making universes.

Much like another space player, Calliope, Chaos resides in a sort of pocket reality, tucked away from the rest of creation, though their reasons for hiding are different, that element of distance also creates a throughline- They're putting "space" between themselves and reality. Good stuff.

**Next, let's talk about LORDS.**

People get touchy about the master classes. Lord and Muse are often the self-diagnosed class of the Edgy OCs the world over, so Chaos is going to have to prove a lot to earn the title of "Lord."

How about "creating the entire universe?" Is that Lordly enough for you?

Now, in Homestuck, Lord is heavily implied to be a male-only class, which creates a sticking point, because Chaos has no gender, the lucky bastard. Fortunately for everyone, I don't subscribe to gendered class notions because my brain is huge, so we can continue without worrying about all that.

Lords are also defined by their incredible capacity for power, especially within the narrative. This manifested as Caliborn being the big bad of the whole Homestuck comic. Chaos isn't a big bad, but they have done things on the level of Caliborn. Need I remind you about the whole "creating the universe" hullaballoo. Caliborn destroyed a universe by unraveling it using his mastery of time, and Chaos displays, implicitly, the same mastery of SPACE by bending it to his will by using pocket dimensions, controling Zagreus's traits, and did I mention creating the universe?

Chaos even implies that their powers are beyond that of the Gods themselves when he mocks Zeus in the game for thinking he's king of Heaven and Earth.

**IN SUM,**

Chaos is one bad mother. Or- One bad father? One bad PARENT. They are all-powerful, and frankly, we should be glad that they wile away their hours chatting it up with Zagreus instead of just deciding to destroy us all and start fresh. I personally love master-class aspect characters, and seeing one being relegated to such a unique role in this game is a fun diversion from the norm. This Lord isn't the big bad, not even a mover and shaker. They're not concerned with their creation, they're just happy to make a video game a little more fun for us.

I think a case could be made for Chaos to be more in-line with Void, since they live in a voidy plane and deprive Zagreus of powers, but Space fits more broadly. I think you could also make a case for Maid of Space, since they're "made of" space- Their weird design. "Mage of Space" is also similar to my above analysis if you don't like master classes, but Lord suits him best, I think.

Tune in next time for another rip-roaring installment of "Greek Thirst Simulator Hussian Analysis."


	3. ZAGREUS: Knight of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh for fuck's sake

Okay, look. I didn't want to do this, okay? The grey-skinned spiky haired dude with the candy corn laurels? Everyone made the jokes, about him looking like Karkat, and I like to think I'm better than that, but seriously, there's so much evidence for Zagreus "Swagreus" Hades Jr. to be a **KNIGHT of BLOOD** , it's uncanny.

**Let's start with BLOOD.**

Blood actually isn't well-defined in Homestuck proper. Only the Vantases have this anemic aspect, and none of them, spare for the Sufferer, are very in-tune with it, but it appears to be about bonds. Karkat binds his team together, Kankri strives (though he's misled) for egalitarianism amongst his friends, and the Sufferer strives to bring his people together. Bonds. It's also literally about BLOOD, as in the vein-candy in your very husk! The Vantases share candy-red mutant blood, which, surprisingly enough, Zag also shares.

Alecto and Hades make note of Zagreus's "mortal blood" or "mortal colored blood," which, as 2 bosses, they've seen in spades. This implies that, like Karkat before him, he's got mutant blood.

Seriously, are Supergiant Games cribbing notes...?

Anyways, Zagreus is also about bonds. Broadly, the game is about re-uniting his family, and more specifically, it's about building bonds. Zag can give Ambrosia to people and complete quests for them, not only for material gain, but because he seems to genuinely like to help. He even bonds with surly characters like Patroclus and the Minotaur. A lot of the game is spent deciding who to give your gifts to, and another swath is deciding which boons to accept from various Olympians. In fact, the Gods seem magnetized to him, even reclusive ones like Artemis and Demeter.

**Next, let's talk KNIGHTS.**

Knights in Homestuck are characterized by their will to fight for their friends and their aspect, in Karkat's case, being one in the same. Dave and Karkat are the two knights we see, and Zagreus has traces of both. He doesn't appear to ENJOY fighting, evidenced in his fights with the Minotaur and the King, like Dave, instead taking up arms when it is NECESSARY. He even avoids fighting at a few key points, like with Cerberus, feeding them instead of fighting.

Yet, like Karkat, Zagreus has a tendency to get hot-headed, especially with his father.

As classes go, Knights are pretty cut-and-dried. They fight for what they need to, and lay down arms until they're needed again.

**IN SUM,**

As memey as it is, Zag is kind of a dead ringer for Knight of Blood. He fits both elements both literally and figuratively. One could argue he's more of a Breath player, since the narrative revolves around him, but that's clearly also a trait of Blood as well. You could also argue that instead of a Knight, he's something more like a Sylph, since he does help a lot of people along the way, and his ultimate goal is to HEAL his family, but at the end of the day, he's too violent to be a healer.

I still can't believe that Zagreus is Karkat...


	4. ZEUS: Prince of Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeus is a bitch baby idiot man

Zeus, King of Olympus. Son of Kronos. **Prince of Breath.**

Now, Zeus doesn't feature that heavily in Hades, so I'll be dipping into Greek Mythology for this one, since the game is implied to follow the Greek myths pretty closely.

**First, let's talk about BREATH.**

Breath in Homestuck is an element with a lot of associations. Adaptability, wind, the sky, and narrative focus. For instance, June Egbert, the Heir of Breath, is the "main character" of Homestuck, as well as having powers over the heavens. She blows away the clouds over her planet, which is similar to how Zeus is responsible for storms. In a less literal sense, Zeus is also the "main character" of Greek mythology, to some extent. He's the father of heroes like Heracles, he is the central figure in taking down Kronos and the titans, and he situates himself as King of Olympus. In his own mind, at the very least, he seems to believe that the world revolves around him.

For all his mortal-based foibles and unfortunate infidelity, Zeus does want what's best for his fellow Gods, and despite being unable to keep it in his pants, he succeeds at this.

**Next, PRINCES.**

Princes in Homestuck are characterized by their strong will and brute force. For instance, Dirk, the Prince of Heart, is often found using his aspect and being used by it in turn. In Zeus's case, the "prince" title is both figurative and literal, as he is literally the PRINCE of the Titans, as he's one of the sons of Kronos and eventually the King of Olympus, and figuratively, he often strong-arms his way into the positions he finds himself in. He has a disregard for how his actions might affect other people, so as a prince of breath, he has a way of inadvertently causing important things to happen and fails to consider how those major events might affect his family.

Think of it like this- Princes put themselves in charge of their aspect, often when they're not entirely qualified, and often for their own personal gain. Zeus puts himself in charge of Olympus, even though he has two brothers who could have just as easily taken his place, and his actions often lead to his fellow gods being angry with him. See: All the times Hera got mad at him and took it out on a mortal.

**IN SUM,**

Zeus is a self-important dingus who thinks the world revolves around him and doesn't care what people think about it. He does what he wants, when he wants, and he's as fickle as the storms he creates. I could easily see Zeus being a Blood character, as well, since his plights often involve family, and the man also loves to MAKE family. Blood also shares the "protagonist" trait with breath. Instead of Prince, I could also see him as a thief of breath, since he steals his kinghood from Kronos and also "theif" fits well with the way he always does infidelity things and gets away with it.

At the end of the day, he's just a big sleaze and we love him for that.


	5. ATHENA: Mage of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one was pretty obvious

Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Goddess of War.

**Let's talk about her classpect, Mage of Mind.**

****

**First, let's talk about MIND.**

Athena, as the goddess of wisdom, is a mind player. The Mind aspect is concerned with people's thoughts, their ideas, and of course, their intelligence, all in a broad sense. Wisdom is a facet of intelligence, and Athena helps those who need strategy and wisdom.

Another mind player, Terezi, is similar in how she strategizes. She is often depicted as a better manipulator than her friend Vriska, who can literally control minds. That isn't to say Terezi is manipulative, more that she knows how to get people to do what she wants. This mirrors Athena, since Athena is often depicted as a Goddess of War, as well. They both can treat people like chess pieces when the need arises.

In a more literal sense, Athena is born by springing from Zeus's forehead- Otherwise known as his MIND.

**Next, MAGES.**

Mages in Homestuck are less well-defined. There are no characters who take this class in Homestuck's foreground, only Sollux and Meulin, neither of them having much screen-time past their introductions. We can extrapolate their powers from their depiction as well as "mage's" definition.

A mage, broadly speaking, is someone who can do magic. Usually in a specific sense, like how in Final Fantasy, the various "Mages" all have different abilities. White Mages heal, Black Mages damage, etc. Couple that with Sollux's powerful psiionic abilities, and it paints the picture of someone who can manipulate their powers outside of the laws of physics. In other words, they have free control over their aspect.

This suits Athena, since, as the goddess of wisdom, she has wisdom herself and presides over the wisdom of others. She's a counsel to Odysseus in the Odyssey, giving him insight and the ability to make better choices. She has free control over her own mind and the minds of others, since as the Goddess of Strategy, she was prayed to when people needed insight in battles. This battle-readiness also reflects how mages are very active.

**IN SUM,**

Athena is a beacon of wisdom, able to bend it freely to her will. As I argued above, she has a mystical control over it, so I could also see people interpreting her as a witch of mind, but unlike a witch, her powers appear to be more specific and based in her own power. I also think you could argue she is a mage of heart, since her powers often seem to extend into affairs of love, for instance, her role in the Trojan War.

There isn't much known about mages, but what little we can see seems to be reflected in Athena. She sometimes falls into the backdrop compared to other Gods, like her father Zeus and the other god of war, Ares, much like Sollux and Meulin do in Homestuck. I think she and Terezi would get along.


	6. SKELLY: Bard of Doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, boyo.

Skelly, the skeleton. The denizen of the underworld who just wants the tar kicked out of him.

**I'm here to tell ya why he's the Bard of Doom, boyo.**

**First let's discuss DOOM.**

Doom in Homestuck, as other aspects do, refers to a wide array of things, some literal, some metaphorical. On the one hand, they deal with "doom" as in the inevitability of death. In this way, it's the antithesis to the "Life" aspect. On another hand, Doom deals with the trend for time to destroy, so it could be considered a counterpart to "Time." Doom also refers specifically to Sburb, and the manner in which Sburb always ends the universe.

Sollux Captor is Homestuck's premiere Doom player, embodying all of this to a T, from his gloomy outlook, to his ghost-communion abilities, and the way he ushers in the apocalypse with his ~ATH files, most notably his possession of the Lord English virus and coding Sburb from the frog ruins. He also has a close relationship with Aradia, a dead girl.

Doom is one of the more mysterious homestuck aspects, but it's reflected in Skelly in many ways. First, he's a skeleton- A dead (doomed) person. While his outlook is far from gloomy, he DOES revel in being beaten up by Zagreus, acting as a punching bag for the young prince, one could read this as enjoying his own demise. He also has a connection to time in that he seems to be suspended in a stationary loop of time- Waiting for Zagreus until he deigns to kill Skelly, then waiting for Zagreus to come back.

He's also, in his own way, involved in the beginning of a game, too, a game that ends in death. He sits at the entrance to the underworld, essentially Zagreus's doorman into the game proper.

Skelly, unlike Sollux and other doom-bound, has a refreshingly upbeat attitude about death and gloom!

**Next, let's talk BARDS.**

Bards are a personal favorite homestuck class, most notably exemplified by Gamzee Makara. The Bard class seems to be somewhat passive, less about direct action and more about indirect action, such as how Gamzee stays behind the scenes, narratively speaking. Bards are also notoriously hard to kill, Gamzee is sawed in half, riddled with holes, and beaten up many times, yet he persists. This reflects Skelly's own enjoyment of his defeats. Skelly also facilitates Zagreus and the player alike, allowing them to test their skills on him. He's a character who, much like Gamzee, plays a seemingly minor, yet very important role- Unsung, if you will.

Skelly also is more than happy to sing Zagreus's praises, much like the more traditional role of the "bard" archetype. He encourages Zagreus to take out his stress and is supportive, too, trying his best to amp up the prince.

Skelly and Gamzee also share mysterious methodologies, as Gamzee sticks to the shadows and Skelly never reveals who sent him into Zagreus's care.

**IN SUM,**

Bard of Doom suits Skelly nicely, for he embraces and facilitates doom as well as the goals of his friends and cohorts. I could also see someone interpreting him as a maid of doom, since he serves Zagreus and embodies the concept of death and doom, and I can also just as easily see him as a bard of life, since one could interpret his regenerative abilities as such.

But at the end of the day, ain't it so fittin', boyo?

Comment on who you'd like to see next!


	7. APHRODITE: Witch of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, Aphrodite!

Aphrodite, goddess of love. Not just Love as we think of it, but all types!

Eros: Romance. Philia: Friendship. Ludus: Playful. Agape: Community. Pragma: Longstanding. Philautia: Ego.

**No matter the name, Aphrodite is a Witch of Heart!**

****

**Let's dicuss HEART.**

Heart is one of the more straightforward homestuck aspects. It's... Your heart. It's the aspect between Mind and Blood, the aspect about specific bonds, how well they're kept, how they're built. Matters of the heart. Dirk Strider and Nepeta Leijon are Homestuck's standout examples, as Nepeta is explicitly a romance shipper and Dirk's arc is all about his own personal relationships, both with others and himself. Nepeta's ancestors, the Disciple and Meulin Leijon also are explicit in this regard, they both have a soul mate and Meulin shares Nep's love for shipping.

Aphrodite, then, as the goddess of love, is a heart player. She's probably the easiest to pin down in this regard, it's hard to argue that she is any other aspect. It's quite obvious, so I won't dwell upon it.

**Next, WITCHES.**

Witches have a somewhat negative connotation, but in Homestuck this appears more contextual. The question "are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" comes to mind. Aphrodite is a source of good, but her influence on the world is not always good. Love makes people do horrible things and wonderful things in the same vein. In Hellenistic terms, love started the Trojan War!

Another Witch in Homestuck is Jade Harley. Not only does Jade show mastery of her aspect, much like Aphrodite clearly does, but Jade reflects this good/bad dichotomy by going "grimbark." Jade is also sometimes overlooked and her powers are considered dangerous, even by her peers, much like Aphrodite.

On a basic level, witches are exceptionally "good at" using their aspect. Aphrodite is good at love, as she's described as incredibly lustful and charismatic, even to those in her own family, and she's good at manipulating love, as her retinue, Himeros and Eros (sometimes referred to as Cupid in Roman mythology,) were responsible for instilling love in others.

**IN SUM,**

Due to her overpowering abilities using love in all of its forms, Aphrodite is a witch of heart. This one is pretty easy to see, and I can't think of many better examples. Thief of Heart springs to mind, as "stealing hearts" is often a phrase associated with many kinds of love, but this title doesn't belie her mastery. I could also see "Witch of Blood" because of her power over people's bonds, but this doesn't ring quite true, since love is less about a bond and more about feelings, which are matters of the heart aspect.


	8. HYPNOS: Rogue of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by ANON on Chapter 6, it's HYPNOS!

Hypnos! I had a tough time selecting this one, since Hypnos gets less lines than some other characters and features less in the tale, but here he is! The **ROGUE OF LIFE!**

**First, let's talk ROGUES.**

The biggest rogue parallel Hypnos has is Roxy Lalonde. Roxy, as a rogue, steals things, specifically, steals things for the good of others. This is superficially similar to someone like Vriska or Meenah, who are both "Thief" class characters. Thieves steal for their own benefit, but Rogues steal for others' sake. Roxy, for example, "steals" a matriorb from nothingness for the benefit of her friend Kanaya.

In a sense, it's the "Robin Hood" archetype. A chaotic good force, breaking the law to ensure justice.

In a similar way, in Greek Mythology, Hypnos "steals" people's life away from them for the sake of their rest and relaxation in the form of sleep. The Greek god tradition saw Hypnos and Thanatos, the gods of sleep and death respectively as siblings, correlating them heavily. Sleeping was essentially the same as death, just temporary.

If we stretch this correlation a little further, we can see how Hypnos "steals" life for others' benefit.

In the games, Hypnos is also prone to mischief. This connects him to "roguish" behavior as well, as he's often seen playfully antagonizing his friends, family, and employers. Looks like he's out there stealing hearts, too!

**Next, LIFE.**

I talked about this in brief already, but Hypnos and Thanatos are connected, in Greek myth and also in the games. Hypnos is the brother of Thanatos, Thanatos presides over mortals' deaths. Hypnos also lives in the underworld, where the dead reside, and is the secretary to Hades, god of the dead himself. Death, of course, cannot exist without life, so it's easy to see, from a Homestuckian analysis, anyway, that Life also includes the concept of death- Jane Crocker, after all, can revive people from the dead and The Condesce, implied to be a Thief of Life, extended the lives of her servants and also lived a long life.

Hades's secretary also plays into Hypnos's rogue aspect. He's stealing lives and sealing people in the underworld and Hypnos helps the administration therein.

**IN SUM,**

Hypnos's aspect is more connected to his mythology than his appearance in game- "Stealing" life from people in the form of sleep. If we go by a more direct in-game look of Hypnos outside of mythology, I could see someone considering Hypnos a Page of Life, since Pages typically serve their aspect and don't have much power over it themselves, and they are the secretary of Hades, in other words, in an inverted sense, "serving" Life. I could also see an interpretation in "Rogue of Heart," since I already mentioned how charming he is and how unlucky he is with his interpersonal relationships, mirroring other Rogue and Heart players alike- Nepeta, Roxy, Dirk, etc.

I love Hypnos. While not my "favorite" character, he is the character I'd most like to have a personal relationship with. I'd love to have him over for coffee. Maybe take a nap with the guy.

If you'd like me to do another character, mention them down below!


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